NHS privatisation by the back door?
There are concerns this evening that the withdrawal of the only NHS bidder to run the debt laden Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon could well lead to "privatisation of the NHS by the back door". The withdrawal of the only NHS bidder now leaves five private health providers to fight it out amongst themselves for the contract which will be awarded by the East of England health authority. This will be the first time that a NHS hospital anywhere in the UK has been placed under the control of a private company.
While in reality the move to bring in new management for the Hinchingbrooke Hospital is not a total privatisation of the hospital, there are concerns amongst unions and the workforce that this could be the thin end of the wedge. The health authority director of strategy Stephen Dunn has denied the privatisation claims confirming that all assets and all staff will remain within the NHS. To all intents and purposes the health authority is bringing in "new management" to work for the health authority itself.
The very fact that this has happened under a Labour government is something which will catch the eye of the Conservative party which has for many years been accused of planning to privatise the NHS. The truth is that many services are already outsourced from the NHS and a growing number of private companies continue to have a direct involvement in day-to-day operations and day-to-day management.
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